drumfire

[ druhm-fahyuhr ]

noun

1. gunfire so heavy and continuous as to sound like the beating of drums. drum.

drumfire

/ ˈdrʌmˌfaɪə /

noun

1. heavy, rapid, and continuous gunfire, the sound of which resembles rapid drumbeats

Word History and Origins

Origin of drumfire¹

First recorded in 1915–20; drum ¹ + fire

Example Sentences

The cheers which now began, round after round, were like drumfire or thunder, rolling round the turrets of Carlisle.

From Literature

Williams, for her part, has been more or less unrivalled since the late summer of 2008, when she defeated her sister Venus in a riveting, drumfire quarter-final match at the U.S.

From The New Yorker

The overture, "Assault and Battery", establishes a theme: Chadwick's drumfire, a cannonade that propels and impels the music throughout.

From The Guardian

With thunderous drumfire from its exhausts, the cutter jerked forward so rapidly that it almost threw them from their feet again.

From Project Gutenberg

The latter, after receiving reenforcements and assisted by an artillery drumfire, made a powerful counterattack, but did not succeed in driving the Russians back.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• attack
• barrage
• bomb
• bombardment
• burst
• disturbance
• onslaught
• outbreak
• upheaval
• violence